Author: cschiwanza

Last year’s champions, Southern Free State, head into the 2024 u18 SASHOC National Week ready to defend their title in front of their home supporters and make it three provincial crowns in three years.

This year’s side has a different makeup to the 2023 team that won four of their five matches and drew one.

Last year’s team was stronger defensively. Though Taheera Augousti was one of the tournament’s top goal-scorers, with five goals to her name, Southern Free State finished with only the fourth-most goals in the tournament. However, they conceded the least. In fact, no team was able to breach their defence in their five outings.

For this year’s event, their coach, Sulette Kotzee has a squad at her disposal which reflects the qualities she seeks. “My style of play is speed and attacking hockey. So, I looked at pacy players and go-getters, players who have forward first mentality,” Kotzee explained.

Someone who encompasses that approach is Eunice’s Bianca Rees-Gibbs. The 17-year-old is one of the most exciting forwards in the game, with the ability to singlehandedly change the course of a match. She has, on several instances, won games for her school and the u16 provincial team with moments of magic.

Rees-Gibbs won’t have to do it all alone, however. Southern Free State has a good number of accomplished attacking players including Anebel Venter, Itumeleng Semoli, Nthati Monyai, Reatile Pitso, and Quincley Norris.

That menacing-looking frontline will be fed by the industrious Georgia Kambanis. Kambanis, Venter, and Rees-Gibbs will bring their chemistry from Eunice to the Southern Free State side.

“We also have Mia Schimper, our workhorse in the middle, who brings a lot of flair to the game, and then Cale Potgieter, who is also an exciting player to watch,” Kotzee elaborated.

The Southern Free State line-up is well-balanced. They have the rock-solid Anriette Otto at the back. Thanks to her skills and organisation, Oranje has been tough to break down this season.

To paraphrase Kotzee, the Southern Free State captain is a sergeant when marshalling the defence, she reads the game well, and regularly picks off the opposition’s forward passes. If teams do manage to squeeze past Otto, they will come face-to-face with her school teammate, Mira Rossouw. She’s been a wall in goal for Oranje.

“We are lucky enough to work with a talented group and have quite a few exciting players. But I’m hoping the whole team will put their hands up and give us exciting and good hockey to watch,” Kotzee shared.

While she is optimistic about her team, she is also cautious. She is quick to acknowledge that the other teams are also stacked with talented players. “It’s going to be a tough competition as many of the provinces have a handful of talented players, so we will have to work very hard to get to our end goal, but it will start by focusing on one game at a time,” she said.

The Southern Free State coach also admitted that there is the pressure of expectations on the girls’ shoulders. “I do think the girls are feeling the pressure as we have won the tournament back-to-back, and it is again a home crowd, so they will most probably feel it is expected for them to win the tournament,” Kotzee said.

She hopes her team will not focus too much on the expectations. “I just want them to play good hockey, play as a team. and enjoy it, and the rest will come,” she concluded.

Southern Free State team: Georgia Kambanis, Khumo Madito, Katlego Maritz, Mia Schimper, Nthathi Monyai, Terrin Muller, Quincley Norris, Anriette Otto, Reatile Pitso, Cale Potgieter, Anné Prinsloo, Bianca Rees-Gibbs, Mira Rossouw, Itumeleng Semoli, Anebel Venter, Tavia Williams.

When Michaelhouse hosts Pretoria Boys High on Saturday, a thrilling encounter is expected, while Hilton squares up against Westville. Kearsney is away at Glenwood, who will be celebrating their Old Boys’ Day, while Maritzburg College faces a tricky tie at Northwood.

When Michaelhouse and Boys High met last year, PBHS ran out 4-0 winners. But that was a different side. Most of the players who played in that match have matriculated.

Another important part of the narrative is that Michaelhouse was not coached by Nick Bérichon, who, having previously coached at Garsfontein until the end of 2023, will have very good knowledge of Boys High’s hockey.

With regards to their form, Michaelhouse has won one and lost one in their last two games. They went down 0-2 away to Maritzburg College but then bounced back to win by the same margin against St Charles at home.

Bérichon hopes that the half-term break, which provided his team with a well-deserved rest after a busy run of matches, will not reset his charges to last year’s principles, which he is working to replace with his own approach.

Justin Collins’ Northwood hosts Maritzburg College on the Durban school’s Old Boys’ Day. The rivalry was dominated by College for many years. In fact, when Northwood won 3-1 in 2022 it was their first win over College.

Last year, the teams settled for a draw. This year, Kyle Emerson’s charges will be looking to undo Northwood’s momentum against them.

However, that will not be an easy task, especially with Northwood playing on home turf. Collins’ team is playing confident hockey and they’re in good form. In their previous three matches, they drew at Kearsney and then followed that up with wins over Jeppe and Glenwood.

Led by Trent Jessop up front, Northwood fired seven goals past Jeppe and Glenwood and conceded only one once.

College has been playing well on the ball, dominating possession, and pressing hard when not in possession, over the past few weeks. Emerson and his charges have done their homework on Northwood and have been practicing ways to nullify the threat brought by Collins’ boys, who usually employ a sharp-edged counterattacking game.

“The focus will remain on our game and ability to keep the ball,” Emerson said. “We know that Northwood plays well with and without the ball, so the game should see two disciplined teams playing to their strengths, and it will come down to who can take their opportunities on the day.”

Westville is at home against Hilton. They’re a tough nut to crack with home field advantage, and they’re well marshalled by KZN Coastal central defender Owen Slack.

Hilton, too, takes their lead from their skipper. Jared Kitto will be a key player for them if they’re to overturn the Griffin on their home turf.

Kearsney takes a short drive to the 3 Schools Astro in Durban for a meeting with Glenwood. Braydon Naidoo’s team is going through a rebuilding phase and aspiring to reach the heights of their predecessors, and they will be keen to impress in front of their old boys. Kearsney, though, presents a serious obstacle.

“They are tough competition, defensively well-drilled. They have a good programme running. You have to respect them, otherwise they will hurt you. But we will take the fight to them,” Naidoo said.

For his part, Kearsney coach Ashley Kemp has expressed his desire for his boys to maintain the good run that has seen them win a few matches on the bounce. He is not taking their opposition lightly.

“They have a good programme running and have a few talented players,” Kemp said. “I am looking forward to the fixture. It should be a competitive match.”

Fixtures

Saturday
Michaelhouse vs PBHS
Westville vs Hilton
Northwood vs Maritzburg College
Glenwood vs Kearsney.

St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) was back in action, and registered a comprehensive win, barely four days after being crowned the winners of the inaugural St Anne’s Cup following a brilliant display against Durban Girls’ College in the final.

As they did against DGC, Carla Ann Mackay’s charges produced a dominant performance as they pummelled Curro Hillcrest 7-0 on Founders Field on Thursday. That was the first of their two outings this week. They go up against Ashton on Friday.

The tie against Ashton will be a bittersweet encounter for Jamie da Silva. The St Mary’s link, who also transforms into a striker when needed, began her schoolgirl career at Ashton before switching to St Mary’s. She has been in outstanding form, regularly getting her name onto the score sheet, trailing only the prolific Elizabeth Anderson in the Saints’ ranks.

Da Silva scored a brace against Curro, and her former teammates would do well to keep her on lockdown when the sides meet.

“Jamie has fit into the team as if she has been with us forever. She played in the link line predominantly and we have been lucky that she shifted well into that forward position. Her composure on the ball is really nice. It’s something you don’t often see in girls’ hockey,” coach Mackay said after her side’s win on Thursday

However, da Silva is not the only problem Ashton will have to worry about. Anderson has been in red-hot form. The striker played a pivotal role when St Mary’s annexed the St Anne’s title over the past weekend and blasted a jaw-dropping five goals against Curro.

“She is a force to be reckoned with. She is playing amazingly up front and scoring some top-class goals at the moment,” Mackay enthused.

“She is playing with an exciting tenacity. It’s not often that she is muscled off the ball. Elizabeth is really dominating that nine-yard area. She has really come into her own this season.”

In the Free State, Nika Coertzen continues her rebuilding season with Eunice, who face Monument on Saturday.

Coertzen has a young team, which has not been as dominant as their predecessors, but they’ve shown immense growth since the start of the season and moments of brilliance, which have marked them as an above average outfit.

Fixtures

Friday
St Mary’s DSG vs Ashton

Saturday
Eunice vs Monument

The teams were tied 1-1 and there were 17 seconds left on the clock. Eunice launched one last wave of attack on the Paarl Gim goal. Eunice supporters were hopeful but did not want to invest into the belief of an outcome from that foray. Neutral supporters considered the Eunice build-up a Hail Mary. A penalty shoot-out was inevitable.

Eunice’s last-ditch offensive, then, yielded a free hit just outside the Paarl Gim circle. Ian Naude’s girls had shown themselves to be strong defensively and their supporters counted down the seconds to the final whistle.

Thinking swiftly, Bianca Rees-Gibbs took the free hit quickly, ran five metres, entered the box, and fired off a shot. The goalie saved it, but it rebounded to Rees-Gibbs. The Eunice star controlled the ball and drilled it past the Paarl Gim defence and goalkeeper.

That goal was her 13^th of the 2024 St Mary’s Waverley Festival. She finished the event, which featured the top girls’ hockey teams in the country, as its top goal scorer, with 15. It was a case of lucky number 13, too, as her goal secured a place in the final for Eunice for a second year in succession.

That goal also encapsulated the 17-year-old’s abilities on the Astro. She has game smarts, spatial awareness, and a predatory instinct in front of goal.

“She has remarkable skills and a natural feeling for the game. She definitely brings the X-Factor,” said Nika Coertzen, her coach at Eunice.

*****************

Rees-Gibbs has the sporting gene. She inherited fast-twitch fibres, depth perception, and a host of other qualities from her parents, both of whom are avid indoor cricketers. She didn’t, however, follow in their footsteps. Her athletic path was decided by a choice she made when she was six years old.

Her school offered hockey practices during school time and, like any youngster keen on joining her older brother and cousin playing a sport, she signed up. “One of the earliest memories I have was actually my first hockey practice in Grade R. I started with Elsie Coetzee, and I still remember my excitement when I did my first yardstick,” she recalled.

As she grew older and developed her game, Rees-Gibbs did not have to look far for inspiration. Her cousin, Matt Rees-Gibbs, a former New Zealand international hockey player, provided her with a role model.

Modern stories of sporting excellence among the youth often involve parents who drive their children to early specialisation with the hope that they dominate their chosen codes. Jason and Martha Rees-Gibbs chose a different approach. They did not just let their daughter spread her wings in other sports, they encouraged it. When she turned nine, Rees-Gibbs represented Eunice in squash.

She took to the sport like a duck takes to water. She dominated and excelled. Rees-Gibbs won titles in the Free State Closed tournaments at u12, u13 (x2), u14, u16 (x2), and u18 level.

She decimated opponents at the Bloemfontein Open – one of the largest squash tournaments to be found anywhere in the world – in 2017, 2018, and 2020, on her way to winning her age group.

“Last year, she was selected to represent SA u17 and took part in the Malaysia Open and Singapore Open in December 2023. She finished 10^th out of 64 players at the Malaysia Open and was 12^th at the Singapore Open. She also won the Free State Ladies Closed tournament in 2023,” Jason told Supersport Schools Plus.

Her rise through the hockey ranks for the Eunice and Free State teams has been as meteoric as her squash achievements.

Rees-Gibbs was a member of her school’s A teams from primary school and was a member of the Free State u12A team in her maiden provincial outing. Since then, she has been a member of the Free State u14A, u16A and u18A teams.

“In sports, I look up to Maria Verschoor. She is in the Netherlands national side. She is an amazing player; I learn so much from watching her. In life, I look up to my parents. They have taught me so many valuable life lessons, especially when it comes to sports, being athletes themselves,” Rees-Gibbs said.

Over the past three years, she has played under the guidance of Nika Coertzen at Eunice. The coach has watched the teenager grow and flourish to become one of the most feared strikers in schoolgirl and provincial age group hockey.

“Her competitive nature and love for sport definitely contributes to her personal performance and contribution to the team. She is also very coachable, which is every coach’s dream,” Coertzen shared.

She described Rees-Gibbs as a player who can always be counted on, especially when the chips are down. And there is no better example of that side of her game than the match Rees-Gibbs cites as her most memorable. Again, it was against Paarl Gim.

This time, the sides met in the final of the Super 12 tournament. The clock was winding down, and as she did at the St Mary’s Waverley Festival final, Rees-Gibbs wrestled control from the opposition.

“I ran from my team’s 25-metre line all the way to the Paarl Gim circle where I took a shot and scored. The draw sent us to a penalty shootout, which we won. I still remember the excitement after we won. Everyone ran to celebrate together. That is my most memorable match,” she recalled.

Rees-Gibbs, who has won more than a few titles in her career, was a member of the SA u16A team last year and has featured 134 times for Eunice. She has achieved a lot in her youth, but she is hungry for more.

“I would love to make SA u18 at the upcoming IPTs, and further improve my skills and love for the sport, and maybe one day represent my country in the SA women’s team,” she said.

Eunice’s coach, Nika Coertzen is convinced that more accomplishments and milestones await Bianca Rees-Gibbs. “Bianca is an exciting player, and you can always count on her. It is a privilege to have her in my team,” she said.

“She is still going to go far in her sporting career, which she definitely deserves, because of her hard work and commitment.”

St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) played outstanding hockey on their way to being crowned the inaugural winners of the St Anne’s Cup. They put on a polished performance to romp to a 4-0 win over Durban Girls’ College (DGC) in the final on Sunday.

St Mary’s served notice that they meant business from day one, with victories over Menlopark and Eunice. They went on to finish as the only unbeaten team in the competition.

Before the final, they won all four of their matches. DGC, meanwhile, won three and drew one.

With their victory in the final, St Mary’s became the first team to record a win over DGC since the Durban side went down against St Mary’s Waverley in a pool match at the St Mary’s Waverley Festival. Given that background, plus the fact that DGC had defeated St Mary’s 3-2 in a league match in April, DGC was favoured on paper.

“I think the girls, since our defeat against DGC in our league fixture, have just been focussing on the greater goal, which is to keep moving forward and improving and sticking to playing our brand of hockey,” Carla Anne Mackay, the St Mary’s coach, said after her team lifted the title.

It was one-way traffic from pass back, as Mackay’s charges dominated possession. The first five minutes of the match, which they spent in the DGC half, set the tone for the rest of the contest. In the moments when DGC won possession, the Georgia Pollock-captained unit committed nine players in defence and denied DGC any space to manoeuvre.

They performed like a well-oiled machine in midfield and at the back, which neutralised the threat posed by Ruby Kraus, the tournament’s leading scorer, by denying her service from her teammates. As a result, St Mary’s goalkeeper, Josie Wylie, was barely tested.

There were only two minutes remaining in the match when she was called on to make her first save. A minute later, she made her second and last, after being a spectator until that point.

When they were dispossessed in the DGC half, St Mary’s pressed with great efficiency. DGC struggled to exit and, when they got out of their half, St Mary’s turned over possession.

Pollock and her teammates’ dominance was reflected in the penalty corner count, which favoured St Mary’s by a 7-1 margin. However, despite the Saints’ dominance, the first half ended goalless.

St Mary’s had an opportunity to take an early lead when they won their first penalty corner. Then, when two DGC defenders broke early, they were down to two defenders and the ‘keeper. St Mary’s opted for a variation, but the final pass went to the near post and goalkeeper Ella Carstens pulled off a save. If it had gone to the far post, DGC would have been totally exposed.

The DGC net-minder bailed them out of dicey situations throughout the tournament and was particularly outstanding in the semi-finals against Eunice. She kept DGC in that game with a fine save in a 1-v-1 situation with five minutes to go in the second chukka, and then pulled off another important save with just over a minute to go.

“At the halfway point, we chatted about not panicking and being patient because we were creating the opportunities. The goals would come as long as we kept focused,” Mackay shared. “I also told them that despite tired legs and sore bodies we have to play with massive hearts.”

St Mary’s attacked the third chukka with greater urgency. Five minutes in, they broke the deadlock. And with that breach of the DGC defence, they opened the floodgates. In the space of five minutes, they went 3-0 up.

The first goal came after Elizabeth Anderson made a great run into the circle and coolly slipped the ball past the keeper to find Georgia Short, who tapped it into the open goal.

Jamie Da Silva followed that up with a well-executed tomahawk to double the St Mary’s lead shortly afterwards.

Two minutes after that goal, Jenna-Leigh Freese scored the third.

Pollock made it 4-0 deep into the final chukka with a cleanly struck shot across the ‘keeper from a penalty corner.

“The girls have made me so unbelievably proud. Their performance today was really on another level,” Mackay beamed after her team’s victory.

Winning the St Anne’s Cup was one of the goals she and her team had set for the season. Now they can tick that off as accomplished.

Results

Waterkloof 0 – 1 Menlopark
St John’s DSG 4-3 Beaulieu College
St Anne’s 2-0 Eunice
St Mary’s DSG 4-0 Durban Girls’ College

Durban Girls’ College and St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) punched their tickets to the final of the St Anne’s Cup on Saturday, with outstanding victories. St Mary’s overcame St Anne’s 4-1 in the first semi-final, while DGC triumphed 3-0 over Eunice. Both contests were humdingers.

Catch the playoff action live on SuperSport Schools

St Mary’s delivered another assured and exceptional performance in their comfortable win. Carla Anne Mackay’s charges launched a blitz on the St Anne’s goal early in the first chukka and were rewarded with three goals from three entries into the St Anne’s D.

St Mary’s top striker Elizabeth Anderson fired them into the lead with a brilliant shot after only three minutes. Two minutes later, Jamie da Silva doubled their advantage with a reverse stick shot that found the backboard. St Anne’s was shellshocked and Georgia Pollock and company took advantage of that to add a third goal three minutes after their second.

“We started really well. It was a fairy tale start being able to score three goals in the first chukka,” Mackay said after the match.

The hosts played with more control and produced better hockey in the second quarter. They launched waves of attacks on the St Mary’s goal, showing that they were a force to be reckoned with, and they were not about to roll over and die.

Going toe-to-toe with St Mary’s, they almost pulled one back as the clock wound down to the end of the half. However, St Mary’s disciplined defence made St Anne’s wait until the third chukka for some reward, which came with a minute to play in that quarter.

Stung by the goal they had conceded, St Marys came out for the fourth chukka set on imposing themselves on the contest again. That paid off when Anderson threaded a ball through to Anna Birt and she made the sharp pass count, turning it into a goal, to reestablish the three-goal margin.

“The big take-home point for me was our game management. We have some very tired bodies, but we managed to shut out the game and manage it, and come away with the win,” commented Mackay.

The second semi-final was a replay of the St Mary’s Waverley Festival final that pitted DGC against Eunice. In that match, Ruby Kraus starred with a brace as Chardinay Penniston’s charges triumphed 3-2 to lift the title.

The victory in the final was the second of two wins DGC recorded over Nika Coertzen’s girls at the festival. They also ran away to a 4-0 victory over Eunice in their last group match, with Kraus also getting in among the goals in that contest.

She’s been prolific for DGC, along Emily Macquet. Against Eunice, though, it was, again, the Ruby Kraus show, as she delivered an outstanding hattrick.

Her first goal came from a deflection in the first minute of play after Macquet picked her out with an inviting pass. Eunice immediately tried to find an equaliser. The result was a high-tempo contest featuring end-to-end action.

Seven minutes after DGC’s first goal, Kraus got herself onto the end of a Caprice Bengston pass while in the circle. Showing good composure, the lanky striker picked her spot and drilled one past the Eunice keeper to double the DGC lead.

On day one, DGC’s defence had been uncharacteristically loose against Beaulieu College. Though they scored six goals in that encounter, they also conceded three soft goals. Against Eunice, they found their groove.

Well organised, they soaked up the pressure that Eunice exerted and, for the most part, prevented them from making circle entries. Then, they hit the Bloemfontein girls on the counter.

On the few occasions that Eunice managed to get a shot away, DGC goalkeeper Ella Carstens proved to be one last barrier they couldn’t break through.

Kraus completed her hat trick in the second chukka, scoring from DGC’s first penalty corner. By then, Eunice had won several shorties, but they had failed to convert.

Coertzen’s charges added a few more PCs later in the contest. Still, Carstens kept them at bay.

In the final four minutes, Eunice opted for an extra outfield player by pulling their goalie, but there was no give from the DGC defence, and they kept their clean sheet.

Almost a month ago, DGC beat St Mary’s 3-2 in Kloof in a league match. They also beat them at the St Mary’s Waverley Festival. However, coach Mackay’s girls hadn’t yet rounded into form, and they were missing their captain, SA u18 midfielder Georgia Pollock.

Now, with St Mary’s in a rich vein of form, the final promises to be a superb showdown between two well-balanced and skilful outfits.

Interestingly, although it will count for nothing in the final, St Anne’s, who were well beaten by St Mary’s on Saturday, played DGC to a 3-3 draw earlier in the day.

Results

Saturday

St John’s 0-4 St Mary’s, Menlopark 0-4 Eunice, St Anne’s 3-3 DGC, Waterkloof 0-0 Beaulieu, Beaulieu 0–2 Menlopark, Waterkloof 4–1 St John’s, St Anne’s 1–4 St Mary’s, DGC 3–0 Eunice.

Sunday

08:00 – Waterkloof vs Menlopark
08:00 – St John’s vs Beaulieu
09:15 – St Anne’s vs Eunice
10:30 – Final – St Mary’s vs DGC.

The Northwood and Grey College 1st XIs registered victories in their weekend derby clashes, while Clifton had to settle for a draw with the visiting St Alban’s College in Durban.

Northwood, who hosted Glenwood, triumphed 4-0 on Friday night, while Grey College defeated Affies 2-1 on Saturday morning, and Clifton finished level at 1-1 with St Alban’s at the Riverside Sports Club.

Since a 1-1 draw with Kearsney on a misty Friday evening earlier this month, Northwood has been on an upward trajectory. That draw was followed by a 3-1 win over Jeppe. Justin Collins‘ charges also took plenty of confidence into their clash with Glenwood after scoring 23 times without reply in their meetings in 2022 and 2023.

However, Glenwood has made strides in 2024, performing far better this season than last year, as Braydon Naidoo puts in the hard work to reignite the school’s hockey programme.

Two weeks ago, they enjoyed a successful trip to Johannesburg, holding Parktown, who have come on strongly in the second half of the season, to a 1-1 draw, before trampling over Linden in a 6-0 victory. Last week, they took a break.

While Friday night’s scoreline suggests that Northwood completely dominated the encounter, Collins admitted that Glenwood excelled in some phases of the game and put the hosts under pressure. But they couldn’t breach Northwood’s typically tenacious defence. “We were good in defence,” Collins said. “We take pride in the way we defend, and our defenders made sure we could stay ahead of the game.  I am really happy that we kept a clean sheet.”

Collins was also pleased with the goals his team scored. Trent Jessop led the way with a brace, including a sharp deflection, while Alistair Duncan and Andrew Deeb also struck for the Knights.

“It was a nice, free-flowing game. We played some good positive hockey, pressed really nicely. It’s encouraging to see us pressing at that level,” Collins said.

On Saturday morning, Clifton hosted a spirited St Alban’s outfit, who gave as good as they got. it was a back-and-forth affair from the first whistle but, despite the action, the combatants struggled to pry open their opposition’s defences.

The tie appeared destined for a 0-0 draw, with the teams’ goalless midway through the third quarter, but Clifton finally broke the deadlock.

After turning over possession as St Alban’s counterattacked, Clifton accelerated up the field and forced a penalty corner. After a re-award, Calvin Price’s charges struck from the set piece, with Zach Williamson netting a screamer to give his side the lead with just over eight minutes left in the chukka.

The boys in black kept their noses in front well into the fourth quarter. They kept attacking, but St Alban’s resolutely withstood the hosts’ onslaughts. Then, the Pretoria school earned a penalty corner. On their second try, they, too, struck with a drag flick.

St Alban’s almost stole a win three minutes later, but Clifton ‘keeper Georg Wolhuter pulled off a brilliant save to keep the ball out. There was no let-up as both sides desperately chased a win. In the end, though, they had to be satisfied with a draw.

In Pretoria, Grey College tussled with Affies. Wayne Coetzee and his charges made the trip to South African capital city buoyed by their last two results, a 4-0 win over Fichardtpark, which was followed up with a 3-0 defeat of Paarl Boys’ High, at home.

Affies, in Pretoria, proved to a tougher opponent. They were spurred on by their home supporters, but Grey worked hard to stave off the Affies’ attacks.

“We played well and remained disciplined through a difficult stage,” Coetzee said afterwards. “The boys’ mental strength was what pulled them through the game.”

Grey College’s goals came from Matthias Visser, who has been in prolific form from penalty corners this season. On Saturday, he added two more from the set piece

Durban Girls’ College (DGC), St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) and St Anne’s were among the main winners on day one of the St Anne’s Cup in Hilton on Friday.

DGC fired nine goals past Waterkloof and Beaulieu as they recorded two victories on day one, while the hosts, St Anne’s, defeated Beaulieu 3-0 and shared the spoils with Waterkloof in a 2-2 draw.

While all eight matches played on the first day of the tournament were highly competitive, the main event was the Pool B showdown between powerhouses Eunice and St Mary’s.

St Mary’s needed only 20 seconds of the match to make a telling impact. Elizabeth Anderson has been a handful for opposition teams this year and she showed why when she made a run into the Eunice D and played a perfect pass from the by-line to Alex Bowyer, who coolly slotted the ball into the Eunice goal.

The early goal shook Nika Coertzen‘s charges, who took a little time to get into their groove.

Anderson posed a constant threat to the Eunice defence. When an opportunity presented itself with four minutes left in the first chukka, Eunice’s first wave runners were a second late in reacting to her run to the right of goal. That delay afforded her enough time to line up her shot and she did not miss the target. It was her second goal of the tournament.

Eunice needed to make changes to adapt to the way Carla Anne Mackay’s charges were playing if they were to stand a chance in the contest.

As they had done in the morning, the St Mary’s players were linking up well. “The girls are really starting to sync up nicely. They are creating some good attacking opportunities,” Mackay said after their 2-0 win over Menlopark. They approached the Eunice game in the same manner.

“I made adjustments at halftime. One of my girls who plays centre-back, started going up front for me. I rolled my bench a bit. We needed to spare the legs for the next games,” Coertzen said after the match.

The changes in structure the Eunice coach made paid dividends. Her side emerged revitalised in the second chukka.

They created an opportunity two minutes into the quarter and Trustan Barnard did not squander it, executing a classy reverse stick shot to half the St Mary’s lead. It was the Eunice captain’s second goal of the tournament.

St Mary’s responded to that goal with a foray on the Eunice goalbox. St Mary’s could have expanded their lead to 3-1 after back-to-back short corners, which led to a penalty stroke. Unfortunately, for the Kloof girls, Anderson’s effort was deflected over the crossbar. Shortly afterwards, Georgia Pollock hit a post.

St Mary’s finished the first half nervously, scrambling to defend against Eunice’s attacks after their missed opportunities.

When they came back for the third quarter, they looked settled once more. They sought to impose themselves on the game, but Eunice’s defence was unyielding. However, the Bloemfontein girls were not sitting back and waiting for St Mary’s to attack. They took the game to the opposition and put the KZN side under pressure.

However, when Eunice equalised, it was more of an out-of-the-blue effort, but it was special.

A Eunice defender sent a speculative pass towards the left of the St Mary’s goal. Bianca Rees-Gibbs, who was hanging high, deep in the circle on the right, realised that St Mary’s thought they could let the ball run over the backline. Unsighted, she sprinted across from the right, rounded the keeper, picked up the ball and smashed it at goal from an acute angle.

Rees-Gibbs’ goal, though, seemed to inject new life into the tired legs of the St Mary’s players.

As they did after Eunice’s first goal, St Mary’s responded with a spirited attack that resulted in a penalty corner. After several retakes, Cassandra Forbes, who has been a standout performer for Saints this season, shot across the ‘keeper and into the far corner to put her side in front again.

Eunice and their captain Trustan Barnard almost secured a last gasp draw when they won a penalty corner as time ran out. Barnard’s shot was just kept out by the St Mary’s keeper, and when the ball was cleared over the sideline the local lasses had snatched a narrow victory.

“You can never rule Eunice out of a contest. They are pure grit and pace and counter. That goal from Bianca, you can’t teach that. We had a few nervy moments at the end, but my girls defended with their lives. I am proud of the girls for grinding out a win against a good team,” coach Carla Ann Mackay, looking relieved, said after the contest.

Coertzen was complimentary of St Mary’s: “They played a good passing game. Going down 0-2, we didn’t stay there, we kept on fighting.

“We got a short corner at the end and almost got a goal from it. We kept fighting. I am really proud of my girls.

“We’ve had a tough two weeks, and our objective was to make a comeback. We lost 2-4 to St John’s earlier this year and we beat them 3-1 this morning, which was very good.”

POOLS

Pool A

St Anne’s Diocesan College, Durban Girls’ College, Waterkloof, Beaulieu College

Pool B

St Mary’s DSG, Eunice, Menlopark, St John’s DSG

Results

St Anne’s 3-0 Beaulieu, Waterkloof 1-3 DGC, Eunice 3-1 St John’s, St Mary’s 2-0 Menlopark, DGC 6-3 Beaulieu, St Anne’s 2-2 Waterkloof, St Mary’s 3-2 Eunice, St John’s 0-3 Menlopark.

FIXTURES

Saturday

08:00 – St John’s vs St Mary’s, 08:00 – Menlopark vs Eunice, 09:15 – St Anne’s vs DGC, 09:15 – Waterkloof vs Beaulieu, 13:00 – A3 vs B4, 13:00 – A4 vs B3, 14:15 – A2 vs B1, 15:00 – A1 vs B2.

Sunday

08:00 – 5 & 6, 08:00 – 7 & 8, 09:15 – 3 & 4, 10:30 – Final.

 

Eight of the country’s top hockey-playing girls’ schools will converge on St Anne’s Diocesan College to do battle for the inaugural St Anne’s Cup, starting on Friday morning.

Eunice, St Mary’s DSG (Kloof), Durban Girls’ College (DGC), Waterkloof, St Anne’s, Menlopark, Beaulieu College and St John’s DSG will be aiming to make history by becoming the winners of the inaugural event.

“St Anne’s [has] always had a vision to create a platform for young female athletes to showcase their skills and engage in friendly competition. We recognised a gap in the calendar for a full-chukka tournament, and we knew it was time to make it happen,” the host’s coach Morné Odendaal said.

Odendaal and the rest of the St Anne’s team are aiming to turn the tournament into a highlight on the school sports calendar. They appear to be halfway towards that goal even before the first edition has kicked off. Earlier this year, DGC’s coach Chardinay Penniston, and Carla Ann Mackay, the St Mary’s coach, shared that winning the St Anne’s Cup was one of their goals for the season.

Both teams have been in good form and will be in contention for the title. Most recently, St Mary’s thumped Thomas More College 8-0 on Tuesday. It’s the latest in a sequence of wins that they have strung together since a 2-3 loss to DGC in April.

Reflecting on her team’s performance against Thomas More, Mackay said: “The girls played a good brand of attacking hockey, so I’m hoping we can just continue this good form over a very exciting weekend of hard hockey.”

DGC, meanwhile, has maintained an unbeaten run that dates back to the St Mary’s Festival in Johannesburg. In their last three matches, Penniston’s charges have produced emphatic results, defeating their opponents 5-0, 5-1, and 5-0. If they maintain that kind of form, a second title in less than three months could be on the cards.

While St Mary’s and DGC appear to be the favourites on paper, they will be wary of the challenge posed by the other competitors, in particular, Eunice.

Nika Coertzen’s team has sailed in choppy waters in their past few games. They lost to Oranje in their Free State derby last week and will be keen to show that they are over that defeat. They made the final at the St Mary’s Festival, and their goal at the St Anne’s Cup will be to go one better.

Odendaal explained the hosts’ goals for the tournament: “Our aim is to foster a competitive atmosphere where teams can test themselves and grow, all while having fun and demonstrating good sportsmanship. We believe that strong competition brings out the best in players and coaches, leading to lasting memories and valuable experiences.”

To help create those lasting memories, St Anne’s has ensured that all teams will be accommodated on the Hilton school’s campus.

“This unique arrangement encourages participants to spend more time together, promoting camaraderie and allowing for friendships that extend beyond the hockey field,” Odendaal said.

“The St Anne’s Cup is more than just a tournament. It’s an opportunity to connect, learn, and grow together.

“Our goal is for these relationships to endure long after the tournament ends.”

POOLS

Pool A

St Anne’s, Durban Girls’ College, Waterkloof, Beaulieu College

Pool B

St Mary’s DSG, Eunice, Menlopark, St John’s DSG

FIXTURES

Friday

08:00 – St Anne’s vs Beaulieu, 08:00 – Waterkloof vs DGC, 09:15 – Eunice vs St John’s, 10:30 – St Mary’s vs Menlopark, 11:45 – DGC vs Beaulieu, 13:00 – St Anne’s vs Waterkloof, 14:15 – St Mary’s vs Eunice, 15:30 – St John’s vs Menlopark.

Saturday

08:00 – St John’s vs St Mary’s, 08:00 – Menlopark vs Eunice, 09:15 – St Anne’s vs DGC, 09:15 – Waterkloof vs Beaulieu, 13:00 – A3 vs B4, 13:00 – A4 vs B3, 14:15 – A2 vs B1, 15:00 – A1 vs B2.

Sunday

08:00 – 5th & 6th, 08:00 – 7th & 8th, 09:15 – 3rd & 4th, 10:30 – Final.

Elizabeth Anderson was in fine form as she bagged a brace to lead St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) to an emphatic 5-1 win over Danville on Saturday morning.

Durban Girls’ College and St John’s DSG also recorded big wins. DGC walloped Epworth 5-1 and St John’s cruised to a 4-1 victory over St Anne’s.

In the Free State, Amy Kotzè and Sumari Eksteen bagged doubles and Arnè Maritz also scored for Witteberg as they rolled over Goudveld 5-0.

St Mary’s didn’t look like a team that had won four on the trot at the start of their game on Founders Field against the visitors from Durban. They appeared nervy and did not retain possession well.

That shaky start provided Danville with an opportunity, which the Sian Davis-captained team grabbed with both hands, with Megan Hulett netting to give the visitors a shock early lead.

The goal, however, seemed to be the wake-up call Carla Ann Mackay’s charges needed. They immediately asserted themselves on the visitors in search of an equaliser.

Georgia Pollock, the St Mary’s captain, returned to the game last week after an extended lay-off due to an injury she suffered on their Netherlands preseason tour and Saints marked her return with a 4-1 win over Our Lady of Fatima earlier in the week.

However, Pollock had to wait for her second outing before she found the back of the net for St Mary’s. But she did so in style by scoring the equaliser against Danville. From that point on, the Kloof girls were dominant, setting up shop in the Danville half.

Anderson, who was KZN Raiders’ leading goal scorer at the recent u21 IPT, was on the score sheet, as usual. Prior to Saturday’s match, she had netted eight times in St Mary’s last four outings. Another two on Saturday took her haul to 10 in their last five.

Jamie da Silva added two more to complete the home team’s comfortable victory.

“I think we were outletting and moving the ball around better than we have played before, but I think that [execution in the] final third is evading us at the moment,” coach Mackay said after the game.

“We need to be more clinical with finishes and tap-ins at that final post. I think we need someone finishing there every single time. We just have to find someone that dominates in that position,” Mackay told Supersport Schools Plus.

While the St Mary’s gaffer was impressed by her side’s performance, she admitted to being a little concerned about their penalty corner conversion rate. “Our PC conversion rate is not great,” Mackay said candidly. “It’s really not great unless it’s coming off the top. Our variations tend to not really give us any sort of outcome. And they work really hard to win the PCs.

“It’s really disappointing. It should be easy points on the board,” Mackay reckoned. Apart from that, though, she had good reason to be pleased with her side’s showing, which was highlighted by good ball movement, which stretched Danville and brought Saints success down both flanks.

When St Mary’s takes on Thomas More next week, before doing duty in the St Anne’s Cup on the weekend, Mackay said she would like to see a little more patience and more clinical finishing.

Chardinay Penniston’s Durban Girls’ College is enjoying a good run. They are still unbeaten since a loss to St Mary’s Waverley at the St Mary’s Festival, which they went on to win.

This week, DGC showed why they have been on such an impressive winning streak by scoring 12 goals against Thomas More, Maris Stella, and Epworth.

Neither Thomas More nor Maris Stella was able to breach the well-oiled DGC defence as they fell 0-2 and 0-5 on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. Epworth managed a consolation goal on Saturday.

RESULTS

St Mary’s DSG 5-1 Danville
Durban Girls’ College 5-1 Epworth
St John’s DSG 4-1 St Anne’s
Witteberg 5-0 Goudveld.